


i dream of a place in outer space (a family amongst the stars)

by steupts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Crossdressing, Galaxy Garrison, Government Conspiracy, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Robot Space Lions, Running Away, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Space Battles, Tags May Change, but not in a sexual way!, guys. its a voltron au., like.... its literally voltron except with the haikyuu characters i love the most, long lost brothers!!!, ohoho, so um
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steupts/pseuds/steupts
Summary: “Please, you have to listen to me -”Ushijima Wakatoshi’s deep voice, sounding as panicked as it does, is something Atsumu never thought he’d hear again.  The leaked recordings from the Kerberos mission a year before still haunt his dreams.The Kerberos mission - supposedly, the crew involved died due to pilot issue.  That was what the Galaxy Garrison said in their official statement, and everyone believed them until hours of audio recordings of the crew went public.  So much information, but the most chilling of all were the last five minutes or so, where all that can be heard is the crew running away fromsomething,screaming, and then nothing.Whatever’s going on right now, the alien ship crashing, Garrison personnel running to uncover what it had been, and now UshijimafuckingWakatoshi turning up, not only alive but seemingly coherent, talking about -“There arealiens!"Ushijima continues."They're coming to Earth, they're looking for something - you have to believe me!”- talking about aliens… yeah, Atsumu’s pretty sure it wasn't pilot issue that made the Kerberos crew go missing a year ago.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 34
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [steupts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/steupts/gifts).



> **at the beginning of this chapter there's a brief moment where ushijima is talking to medical personal that ignore him and his wishes to not be subdued, which are ignored! this can be skipped pretty easily, or just ctrl + f to "Business carries on in the tent," to skip that part entirely.**
> 
> **also, keep in mind that throughout the first few chapters of this work, kenma goes by another name and presents as a girl, and is referred to as such.**
> 
> ok so.... this fic is very self indulgent but i really loved voltron during its hay day and i really like haikyuu, so naturally i wanted to mesh the two together! i am my own target audience for this fic. thus, it is a gift by me, for me.
> 
> u dont need to be particularly familiar with vld to read this i dont think? i sort of just use the series as a loose template and reference it here and there, overall imma try and explain in universe stuff best as i can, since i do plan on changing a few smallish things here n there!
> 
> updates will be inconsistent at best, but ive already got two chapters written and more in the works! i have a lot of ideas for this so hopefully i get to explore them all!
> 
> i hope u guys enjoy reading!!!

_“Please, you have to listen to me -”_ Ushijima Wakatoshi’s deep voice, sounding as panicked as it does, is something Atsumu never thought he’d hear again. The leaked recordings from the Kerberos mission a year before still haunt his dreams.

The Kerberos mission - supposedly, the crew involved died due to pilot issue. That was what the Galaxy Garrison said in their official statement, and everyone believed them until hours of audio recordings of the crew went public. So much information, but the most chilling of all were the last five minutes or so, where all that can be heard is the crew running away from _something,_ screaming, and then nothing.

Whatever’s going on right now, the alien ship crashing, Garrison personnel running to uncover what it had been, and now Ushijima _fucking_ Wakatoshi turning up, not only alive but seemingly coherent, talking about -

_“There are_ aliens _!"_ Ushijima continues. _"The_ _y're coming to Earth, they're looking for something - you have to believe me!”_

\- talking about aliens… yeah, Atsumu’s pretty sure it wasn't pilot issue that made the Kerberos crew go missing a year ago.

_“Look,"_ one of the medics inside the tent says, his voice staticky and hard to pick up, but there. _"H_ _is arm’s been replaced with some… cyborg prosthetic.”_

“Woah,” Bokuto murmurs, eyes widening as he too notices the metal arm replacing Ushijima’s left.

“What happened to him?” Atsumu asks, not really expecting an answer. In front of him, Kozuki - a small girl with bleached blonde shoulder length hair - curls in on herself a little more. Atsumu can't see her face, but he knows she’s frowning.

The three of them are watching the live feed through a hacked security camera within the tent on Kozuki’s home-build laptop, which she can also apparently use to listen in on radio waves as far as the Solar System, which is. Cool. Atsumu doesn't know why he expects his Tuesday nights to be normal anymore.

_“Put him under until we know what that arm can do,”_ another medic says, and the room the three are spying on bustles anew.

_“No, we don't have time!”_ Ushijima pleads. _“Aliens are coming to Earth, for a weapon, for_ Voltron! _We need to do something, we need - no, stop it!”_ On Kozuki’s laptop screen, two and then three medics crowd Ushijima to strap an anesthesia mask to his face. He struggles, but it's useless. The rest of him is already strapped down to the table, and within a few moments of loud protests and pleads, he falls limp.

Business carries on in the tent, and the trio of Garrison students slowly lose interest and come back to themselves. Bokuto blinks, staring down at the tent in the distance in front of them. Atsumu himself is frowning, arms crossed as he digests this information.

“We have to save him,” Kozuki says after a heavy silence. Bokuto and Atsumu look at her, slightly surprised by the conviction in her voice.

“We needa distraction,” Atsumu counters. Bokuto chews his lip nervously, looking down to the tent and then back towards the Galaxy Garrison. Atsumu doesn't have to ask to know what he’s thinking.

He can't say he isn't thinking something similar, somewhere in the back of his mind. The Garrison locked down as soon as they detected the ship holding Ushijima breaking Earth's atmosphere, and now look where he was; miles away uncovering a government conspiracy with his friends. Kita would be so disappointed in him.

“We don't have any supplies,” Kozuki says, bringing Atsumu back to the present. “A distraction is practically impossible. No disguises either, unless one of you wants to knock out some of the guards down there.”

It's Atsumu’s turn to blink, and then he looks to Bokuto. If one of them absolutely had to knock out some men in armor, it undoubtedly had to be Bokuto. Atsumu can hold his own in a fight to be sure, but Bokuto is built like a brick shithouse for their age.

“Um - I'm not sure I wanna…” Bokuto is saying, before he gets interrupted by explosions in the distance. All three duck and cover their heads until the commotion passes.

“What was that?” Bokuto asks frantically at the tail end of his scream. “Is that - is that the aliens? That Ushiwaka was talking about? Are they here already?”

“No,” Kozuki says, “that _was_ a distraction. For them.”

She points over the cliff, and in the pale light of the moon and millions of stars, Atsumu can just barely make something out. It's a figure on some sort of vehicle, and - Atsumu frowns, picking up Kozuki’s binoculars to get a closer look at whoever it is.

His eyes widen when he realizes he recognizes the silhouette. “No… What the hell is _he_ doin’ here?” he asks out loud, nose scrunching up.

“Who’s here?” Bokuto asks, not all panic completely absent from his voice yet. “Who’s ‘he’?”

“He’s gonna beat us there!” he says instead of answering, making his way to slide down the edge of the cliff as safely as possible. Bokuto follows him with no hesitation, but pauses to squint at the figure in the distance.

“Who’s here?” he asks again, unable to make out any details this far away. They’ve hopped off their - motorcycle? - and are sneakily making their way closer to the tent.

“Omi-kun!” Atsumu finally answers, sliding down the cliff face on his feet, one hand behind his to support himself. Bokuto’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Are you sure?” he asks, sliding down after Atsumu using his path. Kozuki finally makes her own way over, slugging her backpack full of equipment over her shoulders.

“Who’s Omi-kun?” she asks at the same time Atsumu says, “Trust me, I’d recognize that jacket anywhere!” The small girl sighs and follows her friends down as well.

***

Following Omi’s trail through the massive privacy tent is as easy as it is terrifying, but not for the reasons you’d think. Well, for some of the reasons you'd think, but more so the fact that there are guards and medics knocked out and tied up left and right. _Was Omi alone?_ Atsumu thinks to himself as he wanders the halls. _He did this all himself?_

Bokuto appears to be thinking the same thing, stepping carefully around unconscious bodies and occasionally checking on some to make sure they're still breathing, the angel. Kozuki just makes her way steadily ahead, watching and listening out for more people approaching.

When they finally arrive at the centermost room, Omi is inside, picking up Ushijima and supporting him on a shoulder, but not without some difficulty. He’s got blue disposable nylon gloves on his hands and a blue disposable mask to match, a dark turtleneck on with an obnoxiously bright yellow-green jacket overtop that makes Atsumu genuinely upset that he wasn't somehow caught on his way over.

“Nah, nope, no, no, absolutely not,” Atsumu says, stepping over even more unconscious medics. “I’m savin’ Ushijima.”

“Who are you?” Omi asks, visceral and suspicious. Atsumu knows his face is contorted into a scowl behind his mask, and he frowns as he gets under Ushijima’s other side, relieving Omi from some of his weight.

“Who am I?! Uh - the names _Atsumu,”_ he says, staring at the other teen’s face, searching for an ounce of recognition. A few seconds pass, and Bokuto and Kozuki glance at each other by the door.

“We were in the same class at the Garrison,” Atsumu elaborates. Omi blinks.

“Oh. Are you an engineer?” he asks.

An _engineer._

“Wha - no, Imma _pilot._ We were like - rivals, y’know, ‘Tsumu and Omi, neck and neck!”

Omi’s brows furrow at the nickname, but then he tilts his head in understanding. “Oh, I remember you,” he says with more than a little maliciousness, “you're a cargo pilot.”

“Well, not anymore. Imma fighter class now, thanks t’you washin’ out.”

“Well, you're welcome then. Now, actually help me get him out of here,” Omi says, and they begin dragging Ushijima towards the door. Kozuki and Bokuto move out of the way, and follow them out.

“Seems like a lovely reunion,” Kozuki quips, making Bokuto snort. Atsumu swallows a frustrated sigh.

***

“Um,” Bokuto says, pausing as the group makes their way back to Omi’s hoverbike, “I think they're on their way back, you guys.”

Atsumu glances back, and sees a long line of headlights slowly but surely getting larger. There have to be at least eight, maybe nine Humvees full of guards and other armed personnel that investigated Omi’s explosions, and Atsumu doubts they’ll be happy to see them escaping with Ushijima.

“Then c’mon,” Omi says sharply, starting his bike. “We need to get out of here.”

“And go where?” Kozuki asks, even as she also steps onto the bike, holding Ushijima’s unconscious body steady. Atsumu sits up beside her, and Bokuto makes his way on the back of the bike.

“I know a place,” is all Omi gives before he suddenly speeds away into the desert, right past the Garrison Humvees and getting their attention. Atsumu cringes as they all immediately adjust their direction, following after Omi’s bike.

“Are ya fuckin’ crazy?!” Atsumu shouts up at Omi, hoping he can be heard over the rushing wind. “They're right on yer tail!”

“I'll lose them,” Omi says, hunching over and speeding up, but only slightly.

“This is so stupid,” Bokuto mutters, just loud enough for Atsumu to hear. Even though his tone is filled with dread, his eyes are wide with excitement, glancing between Ushijima and up past Omi to the endless expanse of land in front of them. “We’re totally gonna get expelled for this.”

The thought sends a pang through Atsumu’s chest, but he pushes it away quickly. Now isn't really the best time to be having thoughts.

“Lean left!” Omi shouts suddenly, and the passengers barely have to hesitate before they're obeying, the hoverbike turning sharply along with them. Omi steers them up across a large sand dune, scattering sand around behind them and giving them a little more distance between them and their pursuers.

“Holy fuck!” Kozuki says as the hoverbike bounces and readjusts itself. Atsumu lets out a startled laugh at the outburst, only to flinch a second later as one of the Humvees starts to honk frantically.

The three Garrison students turn back as much as possible, confused and scared by the sudden noise, but Omi lets out another shout, “Right! Lean right!” and there's no time to think. They all do as told, and the hoverbike jerks as Omi makes a sharp U-turn around the Humvees.

_Fuck._ Atsumu almost forgot what a good pilot Omi was. _Almost._

They manage to leave a fair few of the Humvees behind with that move, but two or three are still hot on the group’s trail, one of which is still honking loudly.

“What's their problem?” Atsumu asks no one in particular, glancing back towards the noise again. Bokuto gives him an incredulous look, the edges of his mouth now tilted up in a wild smile. Atsumu feels the same.

“Is that a cliff up ahead?” Kozuki asks suddenly, getting Atsumu and Bokuto’s attention in an instant.

“Huh? What? Cliff?”

“Wha - Omi, ya can't be serious -”

“Stop complaining,” Omi shouts back at them, but the three don't quiet in the least. Or, not until a new voice joins the mix.

_“Atsumu!”_ someone shouts, and the boy’s stomach drops. He looks back again at the Humvee closest behind them, and sure enough - Kita Shinsuke is behind the driver’s seat, sticking his head and an arm out the window to get his attention.

_“Shinsuke!?”_ he calls back, and the man blinks, as if he wasn't actually expecting it to be Atsumu.

And then Atsumu’s stomach drops again, quite literally this time, and there's a chorus of screams from his friends around him as they all find themselves _falling_ right in midair, because Omi’s just driven off the cliff. Of course.

He joins in the screams - he can't help it - and a few seconds later the hoverbike hits the ground. There's a heavy thump as metal hits unforgiving sand, and Atsumu recoils as he hits his ass against the hard metal of the bike. But then Omi’s driving off again, completely unfazed, and there's no one chasing after them this time.

Atsumu stares back up at the cliff they’d just come from, as Humvees arrive and their drivers pile out, standing on the edge of the cliff to watch the hoverbike, and Ushijima Wakatoshi, ride off and away. He might be imagining things, but Atsumu swears that Kita is the one in front of the crowd.

***

They’d driven for another hour at least, still at the fast speed Omi had begun with before the dark haired boy finally had some mercy on the group and slowed down, just enough to not have to desperately grip the bike and each other every time he made a turn. Ushijima is still unconscious, and Omi doesn't offer much in terms of conversation just yet, not that any of them are in any particular mood to chat.

Kozuki’s still got a protective hold on Ushijima, staring down at him with absent eyes and an intense look on her face. Bokuto switches between staring up at the stars, up at Omi-kun, and at the passing scenery of the desert himself. Atsumu himself stares off into the distance, lost in his own swirling thoughts and nervousness, and looks behind him every so often when he comes back to himself.

It's not a fun drive.

But eventually, the group arrives at a small, dilapidated shack. Omi stops the bike in front of a porch with no railing, and gives the students a second to stretch out their legs before they work on getting Ushijima inside.

The interior of the shack, to Atsumu’s surprise, is much cleaner than the outside would lead you to believe. The only light on the inside looks to be a solar powered lantern Omi left on before leaving - whenever he left - but it gives off enough of a glow for the group to be able to navigate with ease. Ushijima is laid out on a couch as comfortably as possible, a thin blanket tossed over him, and only then does Omi seem to take a second to breathe.

“I guess you all are staying here for the night?” he asks in a tired voice, turning towards the trio of (ex?) Garrison students.

“I don't think we have a choice,” Kozuki says, her head tilted down so her hair falls forward into her face. “We’re accomplices in kidnapping what I'm guessing is a government conspiracy. One of our professors recognized Miya-kun, and they probably already know the rest of us are missing.”

“Do ya think we’ll be declared dead tomorrow, or just missin’?” Atsumu asks, only half joking. All he gets in return is a deadpan stare from two of his companions, and a nervous glance from the last.

“Hey, who are you anyway?” Kozuki continues seamlessly, tilting her head at Omi. The tall boy lifts a thick brow at her, then turns his judgmental eyes to Bokuto and Atsumu before he takes his face mask off.

“Sakusa Kiyoomi,” he says, tossing the mask perfectly into a nearby trash can. “Like Miya said before, I was a student at the Garrison, up until about a year ago.”

“Why’d you drop out?” Bokuto questions, twisting his fingers in the collar of his shirt to keep them busy. Omi blinks at him, and then looks at the unconscious figure on his couch.

“Why do you think?” he responds, and that's that.

***

That night, Atsumu dreams of flying. Or falling. He isn't sure which, even after all these years.

He's running and playing through a field of beautiful green grass, and the sky is the most magnificent blue. There's laughter, his and other children’s, and he thinks they're playing tag. There are flowers at the edge of the field, bright and striking in a fuchsia hue.

That's how Atsumu knows he’s dreaming. He’s never seen those flowers anywhere in his life, let alone a flower of that color.

He’s running, arms out and the air is warm on his skin. He laughs, and there are hands at his side picking him up before tossing him in the air playfully, but he doesn't come down. Instead, he keeps going, up and up and up until all he can see is the darkness of space, and billions of twinkling stars.

Then he’s coming back down again, breaking through clouds to see the sun over horizon, cities and towns and then buildings and houses and cars and people, and suddenly he's back on the surface of earth, in that field again, but he's alone this time. It seems like the game is over, then. Kita Shinsuke comes over and takes him by the hand to lead him home.

_“C’mon, Atsumu,"_ he says, _“if we hurry back, I'll get ya some snacks at the store.”_

_“Promise?”_ Atsumu asks, and Kita smiles.

_“Of course,”_ Kita replies, _“My word is my bond,”_ and Atsumu laughs.

***

Atsumu wakes up with the sun just barely peeking in through Omi’s open blinds, and Bokuto’s arm slung over his waist.

He takes a deep breath and stretches as best he can in the limited space he has. He’s currently trapped between a wall and Bokuto’s body, with half a futon to himself, the other half belonging to Bokuto. Omi apparently only owns three futons, what a prick.

When he carefully sits up, Atsumu notes he’s not the only one awake. The couch where they’d put Ushijima down the night before is empty, as is the futon Omi settled down in. Luckily, it doesn't take much searching to spot the two missing people; he can see them outside the window where the sunlight is coming from, some ways in front of the house. They're standing close to each other, but not close enough to touch. They're probably having a Moment™. Or deciding how to properly kill and dispose of him and his friends.

Atsumu decided that's a problem for later-in-the-morning Atsumu, lays down, and dozes for a little while longer.

***

It's about seven hours later, and Atsumu simultaneously regrets and thanks himself for getting into this mess.

On one hand, he gets to skip class for the next few days, which is a really good thing, because he doesn't have to spend time looking at Oikawa’s ugly mug in class or trying to one up him in flight simulations. On the other hand, his grade is probably gonna tank, if he isn't expelled or executed by the principal when he gets back.

Or, maybe “if” is the better word to use. He also might be a fugitive at this point, and Atsumu really doesn't think he can do jail time.

He takes a moment to stand still, closing his eyes and breathing, forcing the thoughts away. Now _really_ isn't the time. He and the rest of their group are searching for this Voltron thing, deep in the desert guided by Bokuto’s homemade Geiger counter - long story short, it's a bunch of nerd stuff Atsumu doesn't entirely understand, but Bokuto and the rest of the group obviously do, so he’s not gonna question it.

“Over here,” Bokuto says, moving deeper into a rocky outcropping. Kozuki follows, diligently, and Omi after her. Ushijima hangs back for a second, glancing at Atsumu. His face is hard and not very expressive, and there's a deep ugly scar across the bridge of his nose that reaches his cheeks.

“Are you alright?” he asks in a soft but deep voice. Atsumu averts his eyes on instinct and then reprimands himself for doing so. He keeps forgetting that while Ushijima may be an actual experienced outer space pilot, he’s also just a handful of years older than Atsumu himself. Damn prodigy student…

“I'm fine,” he answers, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just… a bit hungry, I guess.”

Ushijima nods and starts walking again, and Atsumu follows his lead. It seems the conversation isn't over just yet, though, because Ushijima goes on to say, “Sakusa-kun packed some water and snacks. You should ask him for some if you're hungry.”

Atsumu suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. Of course _Sakusa-kun_ packed snacks for the trip. Atsumu knew that. He watched him pack. So, he also knows Sakusa packed two packages of wet wipes, an 8 ounce bottle of hand sanitizer, some goddamn _garbage bags,_ spare masks and disposable gloves and his freaky knife. If Atsumu didn't know any better, he’d say Sakusa was for sure planning to kill the lot of them with his supplies. He expresses this to Ushijima, and gets a funny look in return.

“Sakusa-kun told me you two knew each other before,” he says. Atsumu blinks.

“Omi said that? Well, yeah, we were in the same class. We were rivals ‘n stuff.”

Ushijima nods once. “He told me you said that. But if you were in the same class for five years, surely you know his habits by now, no?”

_Five years?_ “Five years?”

“Sakusa-kun told me you've been in the same class for five years.” Ushijima is giving him another funny look. Atsumu just stares at him and then at the back of Sakusa’s head.

_Was it really five years? I thought it was just the one…_

“Tsum-tsum, are you coming?” Bokuto’s voice echoes off the rocks surrounding them. Atsumu turns towards the source, and sees his friend standing between Sakusa and Kozuki. All three of them are obviously waiting on Ushijima and Atsumu.

“Yeah yeah, we’re comin’! Patience is a virtue, y'know!” he shouts back at them, speeding up to a jog. He racks his brain for any memory of Sakusa before two years ago - they can't have been in the same class that long, right? Atsumu would have noticed him sooner, he’s sure of it - but carefully locks away those thoughts as well when he nears the rest of their group. Once they're all together, Sakusa leads them down a cave.

It takes Atsumu a moment to see the carvings. There have to be hundreds of them, all across the walls and ceilings and even the floor of the cave, confidently carved but ancient looking.

“These are the lion carvings I was telling you about,” Sakusa says, walking deeper into the cave. “They're everywhere. This cave goes down pretty far, and the carvings don't dwindle at all. Not that I've noticed anyway.”

“How far down have you gone?” Bokuto asks, using a finger to trace one of the carvings. It comes away dusty and dirty, and Sakusa makes a face behind his mask as he digs a wet wipe from his pack.

“I've walked for about four hours down, but I walked back before it got dark. I didn't have the supplies to camp in here, and I don't particularly want to do so anyway.”

Bokuto makes a noise of understanding, shoving his used wet wipe into a pants pocket. Atsumu watches the exchange before he turns to look over the cave wall closest to him. 

Many of the carvings are exactly as Sakusa had described - lions in different poses, fighting or jumping or sleeping - but for the rest of them it's hard to tell. It's obvious Sakusa wasn't too inclined to try and clean out these carvings. There's sand and dirt inside the divots, and cobwebs obscure a few as well. Curious, Atsumu brushes one carving clean, and pauses to examine it after he does so.

It's definitely a lion head, but it looks… weird. And not just because it's glowing blue, now.

“Um,” he says, glancing back at the rest of the group, and they’ve noticed it too. The rest of the carvings light up as well, washing the cave around them in an unnatural blue hue.

“They’ve never done this before,” Sakusa says unnecessarily, stepping away from the cave wall. There's a loud cracking noise, then, and suddenly the ground beneath Atsumu’s feet collapses.

He screams as he falls, and hears a chorus of screams join in. Well, how cool.

At least it isn't a freefall for very long. Just after a few seconds, Atsumu’s butt and back make contact with smooth rock, and the experience turns into a very steep slide. He glances up behind himself then, to see how badly he’s going to be crushed when he lands wherever they're going.

“Miya-kun, look out,” Ushijima says, right above him, pointing down. He looks down just in time to see a pool of water coming closer and closer. _Fuck!_

“Fuck!” he shouts, bracing for the impact and feeling it a second later. Atsumu lands with his butt hitting water, and then hard ground three inches further down. He hears Ushijima land - somehow on his feet, and looks up in time to see Bokuto fall on his stomach and Kozuki on his back. Sakusa, inexplicably, lands perfectly in Ushijima’s arms.

The group takes a moment to gather their bearings and gawk at Ushijima, who seems completely unperturbed by his show of human strength and perfection. Sakusa doesn't seem very upset either - his arms are around Ushijima’s neck, as if the man was weak enough to drop him. In the dim light of the cave, Atsumu can only barely make out a flush where his facemask doesn't cover.

“Is everyone alright?” Ushijima asks, adorably oblivious. Sakusa’s flush darkens, and Kozuki breaks the silence by turning and hitting Bokuto with her fist.

“Why didn't you catch _me?”_ she demands over Bokuto’s whines.

“Wha - I didn't know I was supposed to!”

Kozuki hits him again.

“She’s embarrassed, Bokkun, she could’a got her skirt wet!” Atsumu says, pushing himself up with a laugh. Kozuki throws a glare his way and hits Bokuto again.

“You're the one embarrassing her, Miya,” Sakusa says, “leave her alone.”

“Yer embarrassing _yerself,_ huggin’ Ushiwaka like he’s yer dad!” Atsumu jeers, flicking a wet hand up at Sakusa. The boy flinches, and then kicks at Atsumu, who just barely blocks it. “Ack, hey! At least let Ushijima put you down before ya _attack_ me!”

Sakusa kicks him again, and Atsumu lets himself fall back down in the puddle. Kozuki laughs from her place still on top of Bokuto.

“Um, guys?” the makeshift chair speaks up, “not to alarm any of you guys but… what's that?”

He points, and the group follows his gaze to - well. To a giant blue robot lion.

“Huh,” Atsumu says. Kozuki stands, and takes a few steps towards it.

“It looks like the carvings,” Sakusa points out as Ushijima finally sets him down. He steps away gratefully, but his gloved hand lingers on Ushijima’s shoulder a second longer than necessary. Atsumu pretends he doesn't notice it or the way it makes his stomach roll.

“This definitely isn't Garrison tech,” Kozuki adds, walking closer still to the thing. “The force field around it - I don't recognize the structure, and the color is the same as the carvings too.”

“They're connected,” Sakusa points out, and Atsumu scoffs. _Obviously, or falling down wouldn't have led to… whatever this is._

Atsumu and Bokuto are the last to follow their group out of the puddle, but they both catch up quickly, enamored by the robot. Atsumu is especially, staring at the thing's eyes as he moves back and forth, frowning.

“Does anyone else feel like it's starin’ at them?” he asks. “I swear, it's eyes are followin’ me when I move.”

Sakusa scoffs now. “Don't be so self-absorbed, Miya.” Behind him, Bokuto moves from side to side as well before shrugging.

“It's not following me, I don't think,” he says.

“It doesn't have pupils to do so anyway,” Kozuki adds, pointing up. Atsumu’s frown deepens.

“Doesn't need to,” he mutters, but drops the subject. Instead, he bounds the rest of the way up to the edge of the force field, eying the way Kozuki and Sakusa have their hands pressed against it.

“How do we get through it?” Bokuto questions, walking around the perimeter. Ushijima stands a few meters back, watching the rest of his companions passively.

“Maybe ya just hafta knock,” Atsumu jokes, bringing his hand up to knock on the force field. Bokuto laughed, even as Sakusa glares at the back of his head. A second later, though, the force field sparks where Atsumu had hit it, flashes, and then begins to dissipate.

Everyone takes a generous few steps back as the lion is uncovered, and it's yellow eyes come to life. “What the -” Atsumu says, his eyes drawn downward as glyphs dug into the ground begin lighting up in blue as well, illuminating the cave entirely.

Bokuto and Kozuki’s startled shouts echo in the chamber, but Atsumu is completely distracted, staring at the robot. It feels like - it's calling to him. No, no, it's _definitely_ calling to him. There's almost a voice in Atsumu’s head, comforting but _present,_ and then -

Suddenly, it's like Atsumu’s in a dream state. He sees the lion, and other lions, bigger and smaller than the one in front of him, flying, and - it's a dream, or it's not real, but Atsumu can feel the wind on his face like it's _him_ that's soaring through the air. It gives him nostalgia for an experience he’s never actually had.

The lions fly up and up and up together in perfect synchronization, each lighting up a different bright color, and then there's a flash of white that Atsumu is sure blinds him, or whoever’s eyes he’s seeing through, but then he can see again. There's a person, or the robotic figure of a person, and though Atsumu can't see anything else to get a sense of scale for it, he knows it's _big._ Bigger than the lion in front of him, bigger than anything he’s ever seen before.

Something bubbles in his chest - pride, he thinks, and happiness, and excitement, and _hope._ _For what?_ he thinks to himself, and the vision is over.

He gasps like he’s coming up for air after a long dive, and stumbles back. He can't take his eyes away from the lion in front of him.

“Did -” he begins, and has to pause to swallow and start again. “Tell me I wasn't the only one who saw that!”

“It was - that's Voltron!” Bokuto shouts. “Voltron is a big, giant, huge awesome robot!”

“Woah,” Kozuki murmurs to herself, blinking at the lion. “This thing - it's only one part of it. There are more lions.”

“This is what they're looking for,” Ushijima says, and Atsumu digests his words for a moment before he realizes he doesn't know who _they_ are.

“What -” he begins again, but gets cut off as suddenly the giant lion superweapon starts fucking _moving._

He shouts in surprise as the thing seems to crouch, opening it's massive jaws. From it, a platform descends to the ground, like a perfect little pathway for someone to walk up.

“What in the _fuck,”_ Sakusa says, which is maybe an understatement if you ask Atsumu, but sure. Still, an idea floats into his head, and…

_“What_ in the _fuck,_ _Miya!”_ Sakusa shouts again as Atsumu bounds into the lion, leaving a satisfied laugh in his wake. The others yell after him too, at varying levels of anger and amusement, but Atsumu is too curious with the inside of the lion to stop to listen.

The inside of the lion is lit up, thankfully, and reminds Atsumu more so of the interior of a Garrison ship, but _way_ more high-tech. As he wanders through the hall, there are a few doors, but they're all closed with no way to open them that Atsumu notices, but soon enough, he stumbles upon what must be the cockpit.

There's a chair, and a wide control board in front of a large, darkened window. Feeling cocky, and hearing the sounds of his companions somewhere in the hall behind him, Atsumu sits in the seat, only for it to apparently activate the rooms on switch.

The chair moves forward so Atsumu can actually reach the control board, and the screens blink to life with a gentle blue glow, the black clearing to show the rocky walls and floor of the cavern. Small divots all around the cockpit glow, reminding Atsumu of the LED strip light in the room he and Kita used to share when they were much younger.

“Woah!” Bokuto chirps, leaning over Atsumu’s seat to gawk at the amount of controls the lion seems to have. “This is so _cool!”_

“We’re inside an alien super weapon, and all you can think is how _cool_ it is?” Sakusa asks incredulously, coming up behind Bokuto. Atsumu rolls his eyes.

“Don't be a scrub,” he says, stretching out more comfortably in his seat. “I know yer just jealous Omi - er…”

Atsumu trails off as he hears - or, _feels_ more accurately - a voice in his head again. Like, there's the presence again, more singular this time. It's warm and kind, like a hug around his mind, and then it's gone.

“Um… did you guys hear that too?”

“Hear what?” Kozuki asks, suspicious even as her eyes scan over every detail of the cockpit.

“The lion - I think it was talking to me?” he tries, unsure even as he speaks. He looks back to the control board in front of him, his fingers moving to type something out on the alien keyboard almost on their own.

A second later, the lion shifts and stands again. Atsumu holds the arms of his seat tight against the sudden motion, but he smirks as his friends raise their voices at him. Another second later, and there's a much louder noise echoing in the cavern - the lion’s roar.

“Okay, okay, I hear ya,” Atsumu says, grinning as two separate handles extend from the control panel. When he grabs them, they're comfortable in his grip and just slightly warm. “Oh, hell yeah.”

“Miya, I swear -” Sakusa begins, cut off as Atsumu jerks the controls back, and the lion jumps forward into the cavern wall. For half a second, Atsumu is sure he’s made a mistake to end his and his friends’ lives, but the lion breaks through the rock effortlessly with an insane amount of power, and then Atsumu sees the sky.

“Oh, _hell yeah!”_ he cheers, and the lion flips before it lands on the desert ground, and takes off again.

_Oh, wait, no, nevermind,_ Atsumu thinks, getting quickly disoriented by the jerky movements the lion takes, like it can't decipher which way is up or down and which way it even wants to go. “You are the _worst_ fucking pilot!” he hears Sakusa shout, and he grits his teeth.

“This isn't me!” he says, “It's - it's the lion! It's on autopilot or somethin’!”

The lion finally lands, but doesn't stop. It runs and leaps across miles of desert land, mechanical whirring coming to life drowned out by the sounds of impact from the robot's massive paws.

“Okay, yeah, this is awesome again,” Atsumu laughs, bracing himself as they take off again into the sky.

They fly upwards, steadfast, for a solid ten seconds before anyone speaks up again. “Uh - Tsum-tsum, where are we going?”

“I dunno,” he says, a bit nervous again, and then the warmth in his head is back. _It's okay,_ the voice seems to say, _but we must do something about this first._

“About what?” Atsumu whispers to it, getting a weird look from his friends.

_About this,_ the voice says, and Atsumu can see it. A ship - bigger than the lion. Bigger than Voltron. Heading towards Earth. At the same time, there's a ping on a monitor at Atsumu’s side that seems to be a map of some sort, getting Ushijima’s attention. The pilot seems to have no trouble reading it, and a grim look comes across his face.

“There's an alien ship comin’ to Earth,” he relays to the rest of his party. “I think - I think it wants us to stop it.”

“Um,” Kozuki says, _“What?_ How the hell are we supposed to do that?”

“We’ve got Voltron, haven't we?” Bokuto answers. “Or, a part of it at least. Maybe it’ll know what to do?”

“Let's hope so,” Sakusa says, looking increasingly nervous as the sky darkens, the lion and the group exiting the atmosphere and going into space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am impatient so im posting this chapter before i have the next one drafted but its like.. fine. i have no idea how to write like, action scenes???????? so pray for me as i struggle because thats like ALL the next chapter is, according to the show at least o-o growls but anyway... i hope u enjoy!!!!!!!!

The group falls into silence that becomes more and more apprehensive the farther they fly from Earth. Everyone is scanning the wide expanse of galaxy they can see, looking for the alien ship the lion warned about.

“There,” Ushijima’s voice shatters the silence, and everyone turns their head to follow his gaze, and -

“What the fuck…” Kozuki murmurs, eyes wide. Atsumu swallows nervously, heart beating loud in his ears.

The ship is bigger than he’s imagined. It's fuckin’ intimidating, too, dark purple that almost looks black and gray armor accents. The edges of the ship look sharp enough to sever a person in half, and an incredible purple glow splattered around in a design Atsumu can only assume is designed to terrify everyone who sees it.

“‘S okay,” he says, not sounding nearly as confident as he means to, “we got this.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’?” Sakusa asks.  _ “You're _ the one piloting this thing.”

“Thanks fer yer support, Omi-kun,” he mutters, and receives a glare in response.

“Don't call me that.”

_ “Omi-kun.” _

_ “Miya -” _

“Do you guys really have time to be flirting right now?” Kozuki spits, cuffing the back of Atsumu’s head none-too-gently. “We're about to get murdered by aliens! Pay attention!”

“They wouldn't murder us,” Ushijima says, and then doesn't elaborate. Not that he’d have the time to anyway - the underside of the ship is glowing a gentle purple that gets brighter and brighter by the second. Seems like they’re on a timer, then.

“Okay, go time I guess,” Atsumu says, pushing the controls forward and gliding the lion closer to the ship. He feels the voice again in his head, gently and assuredly giving Atsumu his next direction.

His hands flip switches and press buttons on the control board seemingly at random, but he knows deep down it's doing - something. He can feel it somehow, feel the lion changing around him, preparing for a battle. The voice purrs happily, and Atsumu pauses a distance away from the alien ship.

The glow from under the ship is startlingly bright now, and there's a heavy buzz in the air Atsumu can feel even from within the lion. He takes a breath.

“Hold on t’somethin’,” he warns his companions, jerking the lion forward a second later. Like a real predator pouncing on its prey, the lion leaps forward with it's claws outstretched, making impact on the ship with the loud screech of metal benching and tearing.

In an instant, the lion jumps to another part of the ship, scraping it's claws on everything it can reach and even biting down hard on part of a wing, crushing it and ripping a chunk of it away.

“Holy shit!” Bokuto shouts, leaning around the control panel to watch the damaged areas of the ship spark and then explode. The lion uses the force of the impact to jump again, all the over to the other side of the massive ship, and continues it's path of destruction.

It claws up and down the ship again, and Atsumu can feel how deep it reaches, and he grins wildly. The fear that fueled his adrenaline is turning into potent exhilaration at the fact that he’s doing so damn  _ well _ \- a fact he knows by the pleased hums in his head that aren't his own, and the quietly impressed exclamations from his companions.

“Not half bad, right Omi?” he jeers, the lion running on top of the ship now, aiming to bite a wing near the back. The black haired teen levels him with a glare, and Atsumu opens his mouth to say something else when a noise startles him.

He whips his head forward again, and can't see anything past bright purple lights. The voice guides him as he pilots the lion up and away from the surface of the ship, realizing the beams were much to where he just was than he expected. There are smaller canons along the top of the ship, likely not as powerful as the one under the head, but lethal all the same.

“Speak too soon?” Sakusa replies, and Atsumu grits his teeth against the smirk he hears in his voice.

“Shut it, you unripe banana bitch,” he growls, flicking a switch on the control panel and pressing his thumbs into matching buttons along his handles as the voice directs. There's a gentle vibration in the floor of the cockpit that reaches all the way up Atsumu’s seat, and then the lion lets loose a beam of its own from it's mouth, right along the side of the alien ship. There's a brief moment of calm, and then more deafening explosions.

“Miya-kun, you need to lead the ship away from Earth,” Ushijima says urgently. “So much activity is going to draw unwanted attention.”

“Got it.” Atsumu pulls the handles back, and the lion retreats slightly in response. It lets out a loud roar, no doubt getting the ship's attention if it didn't have it already, and then takes off. A second later, there's a hum coming from outside the lion, and Atsumu knows the ship is in pursuit.

“We can't let them capture us, or get Voltron,” Ushijima says into the tense silence. Again, he doesn't elaborate until Bokuto clears his throat.

“Well, not that I'm objecting to that, but - I mean, um, why exactly?”

Ushijima’s face is hard, and his lips are pressed into a tense line. “These aliens, they're colonizers. They want control over the entire universe, and will stop at nothing to gain it. They're cruel, and powerful, even without Voltron. Imagine the damage they could do if they had it.”

Atsumu glances back at the taller man, and then at the faces of the rest of his companions. It's hard to visualize, and part of Atsumu is still reeling, but he takes Ushijima’s word at face value. If he thinks those aliens shouldn't get the lion, or Voltron, Atsumu won't let them.

The presence at the bottom of his mind grows, and pulses in a soothing manner. Atsumu closes his eyes for a moment, grateful, before he feels the lion come to a stop. When he opens his eyes, it takes a moment to realize where exactly in the galaxy he is.

“Is that - Kerberos?” Kozuki asks what they're all thinking aloud, and sure enough, it is. It's icy, and blue, just like every image in every textbook Atsumu has ever read on the planets, but seeing it in person makes it feel so much more  _ alive. _ His breath catches for a moment before his eyes wander out to the millions of other stars around him, just taking it in.

“Not to ruin the moment or anything,” Sakusa says, “but we’re sort of being followed by an alien ship that wants to kill us. We can sightsee all we want later,  _ if _ we survive.”

“'S _fine,”_ Atsumu snaps at him, suddenly and inexplicably bothered by his - everything. His voice is so calm and arrogant at the same time, and for what? Sakusa’s a no good dropout, for all Atsumu cares. Why’s he have to be the one to save Ushijima?

The soothing feeling returns, stronger now, and Atsumu lets himself be swept up in it as he settles back into his seat. Everyone else in the cockpit is quiet, the same hum from before steadily getting louder. Then, a new noise - a spark, almost and there's a flash in front of the lion. Atsumu’s shoulders stiffen in anticipation, and then -

“'S that… what I think it is?” Atsumu murmurs just loud enough to be heard. Kozuki lets out a stunned breath, and Bokuto’s jaw might as well be on the floor. Ahead of them, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, is a black fucking hole. Obviously.

“There’s no way that's  _ natural, _ right?” Kozuki says, voice high with anxiety.

The voice in Atsumu’s head purrs, and Atsumu blinks at the directions. “I have no idea,” he manages, “but the lion wants us t’go through it.”

“What?!” Kozuki whips towards him, eyes wide.

“We don't have a choice,” Sakusa says, gesturing to the monitor he can't seem to take his eyes off of. According to it, the ship behind them is right on their tail - following closely, but holding their fire.

“What if there are more evil aliens on the other side?!” Bokuto asks, frantic. His eyes are wide and distressed, and Atsumu knows he’d be biting his nails if his hands weren't gripping his chair so tightly.

“No,” Atsumu says, “the lion - it wouldn' trap us like that. I'm sure of it.” The voice purrs in agreement.

The more time the group spends talking, the closer they fly to the wormhole in all its massiveness. Still, Atsumu’s sure he’d have enough space to fly around it, but it’d be a close call with the ship behind them.

“I can't exactly stall forever, here. Ushijima, yer senior officer. What's yer call?”

Everyone turns to the man in question, who stares at the wormhole ahead with conviction. The air is quiet, save for the ever-present murmurs of alien engines.

“I say we go through,” he says finally, “but we’re a team now. We need to make this call together.”

They lapse into silence again, and Atsumu glances at everyone one at a time. They all have burying levels of anxiety and dismay on their face, but there's a certain amount of certainty in them too. After a heavy few seconds and no objections, Atsumu turns forward again with a nod.

“Guess we’re ditchin’ class tomorrow,” he tries, steering the lion forward with finality. The group braces themselves as they hit the surface of the wormhole, and get sucked into it with another flash of bright, white light.

***

A few long, bumpy moments later, the group and the lion emerge on the other side of the wormhole, wherever that may be. There's no sign of the alien ship that was behind them just a moment ago, but there's also no sign of anything familiar. Atsumu recognizes none of the constellations at a glance, and even though the massive planet now in front of them  _ looks _ like Earth at first, it absolutely isn't.

Wait.

“A planet,” Bokuto says, a nervous look on his face. “Does the lion want us to land there?”

Atsumu waits a moment to feel the lion's orders, and takes a breath. “Yeah, it does.”

A beat, and then, “are we actually going to?” from Kozuki.

“I mean, we went through the wormhole, and that ended well enough.” Atsumu says.

“So far,” Sakusa adds, unnecessarily and annoyingly.

“Go fuck yerself,” he replies, steering the lion down smoothly to the planet. It's quiet for a moment, until Kozuki coughs and Bokuto starts laughing. Atsumu grits his teeth, willing himself not to snap at his friends and embarrass himself more than he already has. Stupid,  _ stupid _ Omi-kun.

But the angry feeling washes away steadily the closer they are to the planet, and is instead washed out by warm and fuzzy feelings, almost making Atsumu giddy in his seat. He can't understand where it's coming from, or why he’s feeling it, but he has the sense that the closer he is to this planet, the closer he is to  _ home. _ And, while he’d like to blame these feelings on the voice of the lion in his head, it's undeniable that some of this sudden emotion is his own.

Breaching the planet's atmosphere is tough, but over quickly, and then it's just white clouds. Breaking through them, Atsumu gets nearly overwhelmed by the sense of deja vu - he blinks, and what he sees is almost identical to his reoccurring dreams. His mouth hangs open slightly as he takes in the tiny details of the planet's landscape, the only solid difference between reality and his dream.

The lion readjusts it's trajectory on its own, smoothing out the flight the closer they get to the surface. It's all beautiful life, green luscious plants that look similar to Earth’s own, but at the same time are completely and fittingly alien. The only thing unnatural, seemingly on the entire planet, is the massive white castle that sits on top of a precarious rock structure, a precarious bridge leading to its entrance. The lion, of course, completely forgoes the bridge and instead lands right in front of the castle's doors.

“Keep your guard up,” Ushijima warns after the lion seems to settle. Atsumu’s heart is fluttering with all types of excited feelings, but nervousness is at the forefront of them all now.

“Is something wrong?” Kozuki asks, adjusting the straps on her backpack. Ushijima stands a little straighter, stretching and cracking the knuckles on his human arm.

“My crew was captured by aliens once,” he says. “I'm not going to let it happen again.”

Kozuki’s eyes widen and twinkle with interest that is quickly blinked away. Atsumu nearly sighs with how much he relates. He isn't sure when this - impromptu mission will be completed, but when it is, he’s gonna have a  _ lot _ of thinking to do.

They exit the lion with ease, and then stand outside the castle doors, unsure of what exactly to expect. Sakusa and Ushijima are standing a safe distance in between both the lion and the castle, obviously not trusting either very much. Kozuki is examining the bushes alongside the path, while Bokuto seems more interested in the general architecture of the castle itself. Atsumu again feels the draw towards the structure, a pleasant heavy feeling radiating both in his head and chest.

He tries his best not to seem hesitant, walking up to the doors of the castle one step at a time. His movements draw the rest of his companions' attention instantly, but no one objects or tries to stop him. Bokuto even follows a few steps behind, jogging to catch up.

“Gonna see if you can knock again?” he asks, a nervous smile on his face that Atsumu returns.

“Worth a shot, right?”

But once he’s close enough to the doors, standing in the castle's shadow and lifting his hand, Atsumu’s hand uncurls from it's fist almost on his own, and he’s pressing his palm up against the door. The surface is warm, welcoming, and Atsumu closes his eyes as a shiver runs down his back.

Behind them, the lion shifts again, and then lets out a bellowing roar. Everyone jumps, and Bokuto even lets out a tiny scream, but Atsumu is still lost in whatever trance this castle has put him under. A moment passes, and Atsumu blinks his eyes to see the doors light up and open.

“Alright,  _ how _ did you do that, man?” Bokuto shouts at him, and Atsumu can only shrug. The inside of the castle is dark - a  _ great  _ sign, honestly - and he turns around to look at the rest of his party.

“So, y’all gonna join me or what?”

Ushijima instantly takes a confident step forward, and Sakusa follows behind him after shaking his head. As they pass Kozuki, she stands, straightens her skirt, and follows as well. She looks less pessimistic about the situation than Sakusa, but she also doesn't look particularly  _ excited. _ It must just be Atsumu that feels this way, then.

“So, are we all goin’ in together?” Atsumu asks once they're standing together again. “Or is it like, single file line, or… or one person goes first as like, a sacrifice?”

Sakusa lifts his head, probably opening his mouth behind his mask to say something snarky and rude, but Ushijima stops him before he can even make a noise.

“We’ll go in together, as a team,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. Atsumu nods, lifting a brow at the dirty look Sakusa sends him before he turns back to the gaping entrance to the castle and eagerly stepping inside.

Their footsteps echo off the great walls of the entrance hallway, and Atsumu’s eyes adjust slowly the deeper they descend. There's a small amount of light from outside filtering in, exposing tiny particles drifting through the air Sakusa narrows his eyes at. Bokuto is once again entranced by the structure of the castle, running his fingers along the wall as he hums to himself.

Eventually, the hallway ends in a circular chamber, with elegant stairs and handrails with curling details. They go up a level to a balcony, where Atsumu can just barely make out numerous other doorways, just as dark. When he looks up, he can see the ceiling too - there are carvings and divots with sharp points and smooth lines, and Atsumu can't help but smile when he sees them.

“The stairs,” Kozuki points, “they're… normal sized.”

“What other size would they be?” Bokuto questions with a frown, walking closer to join the small girl in her investigation.

“Well - I figured they'd be bigger. That whole hallway was big enough to fly that lion through if we wanted, but these stairs look like they were designed for humans.”

Bokuto’s head tilts in understanding while he and Kozuki share a look. Ushijima is quiet, but seems to share the same unnerved sentiment. Sakusa has joined Atsumu in staring up at the ceiling, catching the moment there's a glimmer, and then the carvings begin to glow.

“Um -” he says, only to be cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

_ “Please hold for identity scan,” _ a soothing robotic woman says into the chamber, and suddenly the five of them are bathed in bright, blue light. It moves up their body, and Atsumu holds out his hand and watches as the glow illuminates his skin.

“What do you want with us?” Ushijima asks aloud, but there’s no answer. The scan is over in seconds, and more lights ignite in little, futuristic torch holders, brightening the stairs and one of the doorways on the balcony. They all stare up the path, hesitant, until Atsumu smirks and begins walking towards it.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sakusa hisses behind his mask, and Atsumu turns around to face him but doesn't stop walking.

“It obviously wants us to go this way. C’mon, Omi-kun, it's an adventure!”

“The last twenty four hours have been an adventure, I'm kind of over it,” he retorts, but begins up the stairs anyway. Atsumu shoots him a cocky smile, then looks at the rest of his companions.

Bokuto is already smiling, and bounds forward the moment his and Atsumu’s eyes meet. Kozuki seems uneasy, but trails after Bokuto. Ushijima just blinks, bringing up the rear.

The hallway the group walks down eerily reminds Atsumu of the night they rescued Ushijima - that meaning, unnecessarily long and boring and, worst of all, silent. The only sound is a faint, gentle hum of machinery and the five of their footsteps once again - something that doesn't change until they arrive at their destination.

***

Which, takes for _-fucking-_ ever.

Atsumu doesn't mind all that much, though. With each step he takes, the feeling grows bigger and bigger in his chest, all the way up his throat to the back of his neck and down, heavy in his stomach. It burns hot now too, making his face feel flush. He has to force himself to stop smiling because Kozuki’s been giving him weird looks from Bokuto's back. He's been carrying her for about ten minutes, since she was complaining that her feet hurt.

“There's a door up ahead,” Atsumu says, just  _ knowing. _ Ushijima gives a nod of acknowledgement, while Bokuto just sighs.

“Hopefully this one’ll actually open,” he whines, a valid complaint. The group has passed numerous doors along their walk, but all were sealed shut and wouldn't open, no matter what. Sakusa wanted to stop at one point, just to see what was behind one of the doors, but Atsumu urged them all forward, confident the hallway would lead them where they needed to be.

He was sure of it then, and he’s sure of it now as the door comes into his line of sight, and gets closer and closer. A strange sense of calm has washed over him, now - the warm feeling has gripped his heart and lungs tight, but it's just pliant enough to let him breathe, and to let his heart beat.

“How do we open this one?” Sakusa asks, standing off to one side just far enough to not bump into the rest of them, but also doesn't lean on the wall. Atsumu’s eyes flicker to him for just a second, and he takes a breath.

“What are the chances we just hafta knock again?” he asks weakly, eying the door. There's no handle, so knocking would really be the most polite way if there's anyone (or any _ thing _ ) behind it. Unlike before at the castle doors, however, just as Atsumu’s hand twitches as he goes to lift it, the door hisses and slides open.

The first thing he notices about the room behind the door is that - well. It's bright, and gorgeous. The entire opposite wall seems to be one large window, or at least a massive screen displaying outside, and it fills the room with natural brightness that almost hurts Atsumu’s eyes with more intensely it bounces off the entirely white floors, walls, and ceiling.

The second thing he notices are the two people - two  _ aliens _ \- within the room, staring at him and the rest of his group with a sharp look on their faces.

Slowly, he steps within the room, his chest practically exploding with how powerful this foreign feeling is now. The rest of his party follow him, spreading out to take in the scene. It's then that Atsumu notices the third thing.

One of the aliens, the taller one. Well.

“That's my face,” he says, eyes narrowing. The alien’s eyes flit towards him as he speaks, and don't break away. It - he? - takes a step towards Atsumu, and then another. He looks star-struck.

“...Atsumu?” is the first thing the alien says, and hearing his fuckin’ name come out of the mouth of a goddamn alien with his face  _ really _ fucks with the blonde’s head. As if his day wasn't already crazy enough.

“How d’you know my name?” he asks, standing up a little straighter, swallowing against  _ something  _ rising in his throat, which makes the alien smile and do the same. They seem to be the same height, much to Atsumu’s annoyance.

“It's a long story,” he replies, a bit breathless. Atsumu blinks, glancing at the second alien who is much shorter, thankfully, with bright orange hair, and then at the rest of his friends. They could all take these two in a fight, he thinks. Sakusa, either sensing something from Atsumu’s look or just  _ knowing,  _ maybe feeling something as well, takes a step forward so the two of them are standing side by side.

“Why don't you start by explaining what exactly we’re doing here, and what this place is,” he says. Both aliens turn their attention to him, and seem to realize that, oh yeah, there's a whole group of strangers in the room with them.

“Right,” the first alien says, brushing pale gray hair away from his face. He looks to his companion, who blinks, and then takes a steadying breath to address the group of humans with renewed calmness.

“This place is the Castle of Lions. We’re on a planet called Arus - a planet Shoyo and I have made out home for a few deca-phoebs now. You're all here because one of you was chosen to be the Blue Lion’s pilot, I assume,” he says, and then adds much quieter, “I hope.” His friend - Shoyo - takes an excited breath and gives him a look.

“Yeah,” Atsumu affirms, “that was me, I think. The pilot for the lion.”

The unnamed alien looks at him for a long second with large, surprisingly bright purple eyes with matching pale purple marking beneath, and smiles. “That's - that's good. I'm glad to hear it.

“And, what of the rest of you? Are these your friends?” he asks, looking again to the rest of the group eagerly. Atsumu glances around, and the rest of his group are all differing levels suspicious of the aliens, Bokuto least of all. He smiles, stepping forward with Kozuki still on his back, offering the aliens a wave.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! Me and Tsum-tsum go  _ wayyyy _ back! We were dorm neighbors at the Garrison - our school - and we have class together, and we’re even a team! He’s the pilot, and I’m the engineer, and Kana-chan’s our navigator! This is Kana-chan!” He spins, showing the girl clung to his back, who hits him. He laughs, and finishes his twirl with a little bounce. “I'm Bokuto Koutarou, by the way!”

Shoyo claps, a wide smile on his face as he does his own little bounces. “It's nice to meet you, Bokuto, Kana-chan!” he says in a bright, happy voice. The girl grumbles, hitting Bokuto again as she looks to Shoyo.

“Kozuki Kana.”

“Kozuki Kana,” Shoyo repeats, this time with a bow. Kozuki rolls her eyes, kicking her legs a bit so Bokuto puts her down. Ushijima steps forward next, putting a placating hand on Bokuto’s shoulder.

“My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi. Over there is Sakusa Kiyoomi, and Miya Atsumu, who you already seem to know,” he says with some suspicion. At his name, the aliens exchange another look, and Atsumu’s stomach flips.

“Please, if you don't mind, introduce yourselves as well, and explain more about what's going on. We’re… a little lost,” Ushijima finishes, gaining the alien’s attention back.

“Figuratively and literally,” Kozuki adds, tugging on a strand of her hair. Shoyo snorts, rubbing under his eye where his own markings are, similar to his friends’ in everything but color. His are a pale orange, reminiscent of his hair, his rich brown eyes standing out beautifully against them both.

“Well, I'm Hinata Shoyo! Royal Advisor to the prince!” he says, giving them all a small wave and another bow. Kozuki claps politely after a moment, and Bokuto joins more enthusiastically, to which Ushijima does as well. Sakusa and Atsumu share a look, and then turn to the still unnamed alien to wait for his introduction.

Once the room quiets down and all attention is on the pale-haired alien, he takes a breath and lifts his chin just slightly.

“Miya Atsumu,” he says, and the teen in question blinks. His voice - Atsumu’s name in his voice is making this feeling in chest go fuckin’ haywire. Not with lust or romance, though - Atsumu definitely doesn't want to jump this guy's alien bone or anything - more like, Atsumu feels like he should  _ know _ him, know both of these people, know everything he sees in this room. It's almost disorienting, and definitely confusing.

“The Blue Lion has chosen you to be her Paladin,” the alien continues. “That means, you are one of the five Paladins of Voltron.”

“That's cool,” Atsumu says. “I kinda figured I'd be somethin’ important, what with the visions and all.”

“Visions?” Shoyo pipes up with interest, a hand on his chin. Kozuki nods her head a little, her hair falling forward.

“Yes. Earlier, on Earth - um, our home planet - we found the Blue Lion, and… it gave us visions of Voltron,” she explains. Both the aliens smile wide, eyes flicking over them all now.

“You all had the visions?” the gray haired one asks eagerly. They all nod. “No way - how lucky is that! This has to be fate, then!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Sakusa asks in a cold voice. “‘Fate’?”

“Fate, destiny, however you want to call it. No matter what, Voltorn has brought you all together to be the next generation of Paladins!”

“Oh,” Bokuto says. “Wait, what? Paladins?”

“Yes!” Shoyo shouts, bouncing in excitement. He laughs and hugs himself, his grin absolutely lighting up the room. “The next generation - the Galra don't have a chance against us now!”

There's a pause in the room, and suddenly the pale haired alien - who absolutely avoided introducing himself just now,  _ suspicious _ \- turns to Shoyo, eyes wide.

“Check our radars,” he says urgently. “If the Blue Lion is active, the Galra will be on their way.”

“Got it!” Shoyo says, making his way to a podium in the center of the room and resting his hands on it. A screen materializes in front of him, like a hologram, and symbols Atsumu doesn't recognize move around before an image comes up. Shoyo’s face becomes grim as he turns back to the taller alien.

“They're already on their way,” he says. “It'll take them a while to get here - a few quintants, but…”

“Um, ‘but’?” Kozuki says, “but what? And who are the Galra?”

“But, the Castle won't be able to fight off an entire fleet of Galra ships,” Shoyo explains gravely, closing the hologram screen. The taller alien has a nervous look on his face that tells Atsumu he agrees, but turns to address Kozuki’s latter question dutifully.

“The Galra are a race of people trying to take over the universe. Their armies are billions strong, and they're notoriously barbaric to those who oppose them.”

“How so?” Kozuki asks hesitantly, and the aliens share a look.

“Shoyo and I are from a planet called Altea. Deca-phoebes ago, the Galra ordered us to surrender. Our planet refused, and war broke out. It was pointless though. The Galra would eventually destroy our planet in retribution for our defiance.”

The air seems to get sucked out of the room, as everyone falls quiet in shock. Atsumu presses his fist to his mouth, feeling a lump in his throat very suddenly and unexpectedly. Their entire planet? Destroyed? Just like that?

“I remember,” Ushijima says suddenly, his voice just a murmur in the room, but gaining the room's attention all the same. “I was a prisoner of the Galra, of… of Zarkon. I witnessed them all firsthand.”

“I thought I recognized the tech on your arm,” the taller alien says, gesturing to Ushijima’s robotic appendage. “No one encounters the Galra without lingering scars to show for it, unfortunately. Your strength is commendable, though.”

“Yours even more so,” Ushijima responds. “Words cannot express how sorry I am for you two.”

The aliens nod. “Thank you,” Shoyo says, genuine. “The only reason ‘Samu and I survived is because we were here, in the Castle. We managed to escape, but not without a substantial amount of damage. It's been deca-phoebes, but we’re still not completely repaired from then.”

“The only thing that could stop the incoming Galra fleet is Voltron,” Samu says, looking to each of the Paladins, one at a time. “Unless we want the Galra to prevail, we need to get the rest of the Lions, form Voltron, and defend against the incoming fleet of ships.”

“Right,” Sakusa says, words dripping with sarcasm, “sounds easy enough.”

Samu smiles at him, rueful, and takes a breath. “Some steps will be easier than others, but we can only go one at a time. Which means - finding the Lions. Luckily, the Black Lion is locked away within the Castle, but it cannot be unlocked unless the rest of the Lions are present.

“The last three Lions - where are they? How do we find them?” Sakusa asks, frowning beneath his mask. Shoyo moves to the podium again, a small jump in his step.

“There are a few ways,” he says, more symbols flying across the holo-screen in front of him. “The Blue Lion has an instinctual connection to the other Lions, and the Castle is connected to them too. Or, their Quintessence, and ‘Samu has a connection to that too, sorta.”

Kenma blinks at the words, nodding at despite not entirely understanding any of them. Meanwhile, Samu’s eyes drag over the group one by one, considering them all before stepping closer to Bokuto and Kozuki.

“May I see your hand?” he asks the boy, who nods happily and offers his hand. Samu takes it gently between his own and closes his eyes. Atsumu watches as his marks begin to glow, slightly concerned for his friend, but the light show ends a moment later, and a second one begins.

A 3D map hologram appears in the room seemingly out of nowhere, sparks of stars in constellations Atsumu doesn't recognize. Within the map are countless galaxies too far from Earth to have a name Atsumu knows, but he still stares in awe at this map, proof of their existence. A moment later, a blue lion -  _ the _ Blue Lion - materializes on the map, the Black Lion beside it.

“We’re there then,” he murmurs, mostly to himself, but the rest of the room is quiet in similar astonishment, and Atsumu’s voice carries. Shoyo shoots him a grin and nods, and waves his hand and the map moves with it. Some stars disappear and others apparate, and with them, the Yellow and Green Lion do too. They're far from each other and the Castle itself, but beautiful to look at all the same.

“Pardon me,” Samu says, drawing the room's attention, “Bokuto, it's my honor to tell you that you are destined to become the Yellow Paladin, pilot to the Yellow Lion.”

“Woah…” Bokuto sighs, looking down at his hand as it is released. “How could you tell?”

“I can sense the Quintessence inside of you, and the Yellow Lion within that. There's already a bond between you and your Lion - not yet solidified, but present all the same.” He turns to the girl beside Bokuto, “may I see your hand next?”

She offers it with a slightly suspicious look, and Samu repeats the process. Bokuto stays respectfully quiet, but his eyes wander over to the Yellow Lion, not too far from him. He stares at it in something akin to reverence, and only breaks his gaze when Samu speaks up again.

“And you shall be the Green Paladin it seems,” he says, a smile evident in his voice, “pilot to the Green Lion. I'm sure she will be happy to have you.”

“She, as in, the Lion?” Kozuki asks with a quirked brow, glancing at the Green Lion’s hologram. Her eyes flash and widen, and Samu nods, moving on to Ushijima. He already offers out his human hand, anticipating the request, and Samu takes it gratefully.

His eyes startle open a moment later, and he stares up at Ushijima like he’s seeing him for the first time. “Oh, Black Paladin, it's an honor to be in your presence,” he says. “You will pilot the Black Lion, and effectively be the leader of Voltron.”

Ushijima blinks at the tone of the alien's voice, but nods in thanks. “It's an honor to be here,” he says, and Atsumu hides a snort in his shoulder.

“Which means,” Samu continues, turning to Sakusa, “you are the Red Paladin, pilot to the Red Lion.”

Sakusa, in all his wonderful awkwardness, lifts a hand to give a small wave. Atsumu snorts again, and gets an elbow to his gut for the trouble.

“Unfortunately, the Red Lion has yet to appear anywhere on our maps,” Samu says apologetically. “But in the meantime, we should be able to retrieve the Yellow and Green Lions easily. The planets they're located on are peaceful planets, if not a bit far from Arus.”

“How will we get there then?” Bokuto asks, holding the hand Samu took by the wrist as if it's something precious.

“By wormhole!” Shoyo says, gesturing wide. “We’ll have to split you guys up, but I think we can do it!”

Kozuki blinks and glances at Bokuto, who shrugs. “Your confidence is inspiring,” she says, deadpan, but Shoyo beams all the same.

“It's truly an honor to be in all the Paladin’s presence once again,” Samu says, smiling fondly at his friends, old and new. “It's been so long since I've even  _ seen _ a Lion, or had any hope that the Galra might be defeated, but now that you all are here, I -”

“Um, not to interrupt,” Sakusa interrupts, “this speech sounds really inspiring and great, but I don't think you ever introduced yourself.”

Atsumu wants to punch this guy, but doesn't,  _ only _ because he’s right. Doesn't mean he couldn't have been nicer saying it though - after everything he’s heard about these aliens, he kinda just wants to wrap them up and protect them, maybe watch a movie with them and buy them all their snacks.

“Oh,” Samu says, eyes wide. “I'm - I apologize. I didn't wish to cause any disorder in the middle of everything…”

“Are we still in the middle of everything?” Bokuto asks at the same time Kozuki quirks a brow.

“How would your name cause disorder?” she asks, cynical. Atsumu again feels a twing of anger at her - why’s everyone so rude to these guys? And then Atsumu feels confused, because  _ why _ is he so defensive over these aliens he’s never seen before today?

_ But is that true? _ the voice of the lion chimes up in the back of Atsumu’s head, and he feels even  _ more  _ confusion, right alongside those forceful emotions that had faded over the past couple minutes bubbling to prominence once again.

Samu, in the meanwhile, takes a steadying breath, and then another.

“Because, my name is Miya Osamu, Prince of Altea and successor of late King Miya Alfor and late Queen Miya Ena,” he says, turning his eyes to Atsumu as he speaks. The teen is frozen, trying to comprehend the words

“Wait,” Bokuto says, “‘Miya’? Like, Tsum-tsum’s name?”

Osamu nods an affirmative, swallowing around a wobbly smile.

“Atsumu,” he says, “I have reason to believe that you are my brother.”

Atsumu gapes at Osamu, and then the rest of his friends, and back to Osamu.

_ “What?” _

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading! id love to hear what u think!!
> 
> and if u want, come talk to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/steupts) where i mainly cry about sakuatsu, or [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/steupts/?hl=en) where i make art!


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